Friday, March 13, 2009

Update on Craig & Sarah, too

As some of you are aware, I recently lost my job at Lifetouch National School Studios. While I was sad to leave, I was also a little bit happy at the thought of not having to get up so ridiculously early in the morning, and also having my car to myself again (as it was previously loaded with all my equipment). Things were tight for a little while, and then I got a new job. With Lifetouch Preschool Studios. The irony is killing me. Now I am back to early mornings and car full of equipment. But so far I like it. Working with little ones is lots of fun (usually). And I get paid more, which makes me plenty happy.

So, we thought we were going to be doing pretty well, when out of now where, Craig lost his job, too. It came as a completely unexpected shock, and a heavy blow. They closed his whole branch. He is currently looking for new work, and hopefully he will be able to find something that will be right for us.

In the meantime, he is starting training to become and actuary. I am not exactly sure what that is, but I know it has something to do with economics and statistics, which is what he really likes to do. Once he gets a job, it pays quite well, with the potential to earn more if you take certain tests. We are really excited about it!

I am also continuing to work on building my photography business. I am doing everything I can to get my name out there. New clients are rare right now, due to the economy, but when it turns again, I want people to remember me first when it comes to finding a photographer.

We love living in our new house. Having a house is soooo much better than an apartment. Now that the weather is warming up, we are noticing flowers coming up in our yard. There is a little plot in the backyard that I plan to put a garden in. Garden fresh veggies - yum! Cameron loves visiting the park and the library, which are both next door to us, and I love having the mall and shopping centers close by. Seriously, I think we are in the best location ever!

Well, that's the news. Wasn't all great, but we are hanging in there. Times are tough for a lot of people, but it just makes you stop and realize what is really important in your life.

A little bit of Cameron

Cameron has become quite the little chatterbox lately. For so long we were worried he would never learn to talk. Now we are worried we will never get him to stop, lol. Here's a few fun things he has been saying lately:

Today Cameron got out his tool set and was banging on the walls with a hammer (don't worry, it was plastic). When Craig asked what he was doing, Cameron responded, "Don't talk to me. I'm very busy!" Such a hard little worker!

Cameron: What's that on the wall?
Teacher: What? This? (pointing to a fire extinguisher)
Cameron: That's a fire ex-ting-wish-er.
Teacher: Wow! How did you know what that was?
Cameron (very matter-of-factly): Wall-E has one. It made him fly.

Cameron came downstairs the other day to find me on the computer and said, "Mommy, you have to get off the computer so I can check my email." Ah, they start so young!

Cameron just visited the Pedi of his annual check-up. They wanted to check his vision, and asked him what a series of shapes were on the wall (instead of the letters we normally use). When she pointed to a + symbol, Cameron immediatley resonded, "A plus sign". The nurse was pretty surprised that a four year old knew what it really was. Most kids guess "T" or a cross. How did Cameron know? There is a little + symbol on the Wiimote. He knows all things video games:-)

Earlier tonight Cameron was playing with his lightsaber, and asked Craig to "cut off his head". When Craig did so, Cameron stopped and bowed his head. When we asked him to come over to the table to finish his dessert, he said, "I can't, because my head is cut off and I can't see!" Then Craig "cut off" one of Cameron's legs. Cameron lifted it up and balanced on the other leg, but Craig cut that one off too. At first, Cameron wasn't sure which leg to stand on, but finally he dropped to the ground (because he had no legs). Then Craig "cut off" Cameron's arms, and he put them behind his back. Then he started rolling around on the ground trying to get to other places. One thing is sure - this kid has an active imagination!


Some other things to note:

Cameron got a clean bill of health from his Pedi last week. She was concerned about how much time he spends playing videos, but since he is running around playing the characters more than he is actually playing, I figure no harm is done. She also told as that Cameron should have a bike. We agreed, so the next day we went and got him one! I haven't been able to take any pictures of him riding it yet. He loves it! He feels like such a big boy riding a real bicycle:-)

Cameron is a great lover of books. From the time he was a baby, we have always read books to him every day. Now he is learning to read by himself! He knows almost all the letters and their sounds, and is starting to learn how to put the sounds together to make words. Just little ones right now, like CAT, UP, CUP, BALL, WALL-E, WII, and CAMERON. He also recognizes words like METROID PRIME FUSION, MARIO, and ZELDA. I told you he likes video games:-)

Not too long ago I took Cameron with me to scout out a new location for a photoshoot I had coming up. I decided to test out the light and location by using Cameron as my model. He LOVES having his picture taken, and sometimes I let him take a picture of me. I got some great images of him while we were there, and I will post some of my faves here. My problem is that I have so many great pictures of Cameron, and no walls to put them!